


A quiet light for a new year

by HogwartsToAlexandria



Series: Marie Ships it All Shorts 2020 [34]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Tower, Balcony Scene, Beginnings, Bonding, Bucky Barnes Recovering, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Insecure Bucky Barnes, Insecure Stephen Strange, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23945425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogwartsToAlexandria/pseuds/HogwartsToAlexandria
Summary: Well-meaning friends can never replace the people who actually understand what you're going through, who get you, somehow, no matter the circumstances.Neither Stephen nor Bucky actually volunteered to be present to the Avengers New Year's Party, now did they?Bucky Barnes Bingo Fill, B1: Invisibility
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Stephen Strange
Series: Marie Ships it All Shorts 2020 [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649596
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020





	A quiet light for a new year

**Author's Note:**

> A little something I wrote during camp nano that was meant to scratch my Bucky/Stephen itch but only pushed me further down that pit so... hope you'll enjoy it!
> 
> Thank you to baby Erja for the loud and amazing cheering 💕

People everywhere. Music that resounded around the room in a more and more overbearing way as the night went on. It was to be expected, of course, it was still a little too much a little too quickly. It had been a long time since Stephen was used to these parties that went on and on and on and counted more people than he could see at once. The Sanctum was so quiet, Kamar-Taj so magnificently gentle on the mind and soul. This felt like he was being thrown back into an old life he could never get back, nor did he want to anymore, not really. 

Stark could throw parties, he could recognize that though. And if he trusted his instincts when it came to the elegant layout of the gala room of Stark Tower and the fact that the food was all finger-appropriate without being messy, Stephen could say without much doubt that Ms Potts had had a hand in it as well. 

He tried to smile at the people whose eyes he crossed or accidentally met, or at least he tried not to inadvertently glare at them. But mostly, Stephen kept to himself. 

New Year's Eve. Why on earth had he accepted this invitation, he would never know. He thought himself stronger than Tony Stark's pretty eyes. Maybe not. 

But Tony Stark wasn't where his focus - what little of it remained - lay tonight. 

Stephen had been walking on eggshells trying to make himself as discreet as he could all night, merely nodding along at conversations he was dragged into and making swift escapes once people stopped paying attention to him. About half an hour into the party, Stephen had already been wondering how much of an early retreat he could make and still show the hosts the regard they deserved and as he did so, someone caught his attention. 

James Barnes,  _ Bucky _ , looked about as uneasy as him, standing in a far corner of the room and seemingly hiding every time the good Captain or Ms Romanov tried to look for him a little too hard. It was almost funny, seeing him take the same route and go through the same nodding-along, turning-around, lowering-his-head-in-an-effort-to-be-forgotten process Stephen was still actively pursuing. 

When it became too much and Stephen tried to find an exit of sorts, he ended up on one of the more hidden, concealed behind curtains, little balconies over on the mezzanine of gala room, he wasn't surprised to find Barnes was already there as well. 

"Not a fan either?" 

Barnes turned around from where he'd been staring at the streets so many floors below. The slow way he did it told Stephen he hadn't caught him off-guard - it was entirely possible that that wasn't actually doable, catching Bucky Barnes unaware. There was a grace to the way he did it, too, and Stephen was reminded of all these moments he'd been forced to attend Avengers meetings for his functions of Sorcerer Supreme and the way he'd thought to himself that they were just a little more bearable for Barnes' presence. 

Barnes' eyes twinkled in the New Year's themed lighting, his blue eyes looking Stephen up and down as he gave him a rare smile. 

"Nah," Barnes leaned on the wall of the balcony with his side, tilting his head to get his hair out of his face, "Suit is a good look on ya." 

Stephen felt his eyes widen just a little. He wouldn't blush. No. He would not. He looked at himself, more bashful than he'd anticipated but interestingly less uncomfortable than he'd been all night and, brushing his hands on the front of his jacket rather nervously, he smiled at the other man. 

"Thank you. Same to you, shirts seem to…" Stephen got distracted by the sight of said light blue shirt stretching around Barnes's bicep - sinful - and cleared his throat, "Looking great, sir." 

"Bucky's fine," 

"Isn't your name James, though?" Stephen raised an eyebrow, finally stepping forward to stand and lean on the rail of the balcony himself. 

"It is, that's fine too, sure." 

"James it is then," Stephen nodded, clicking his tongue, "I like Stephen better than wizard, or Dumbledore, in case you want to return the favor." 

James laughed at that, the smile drawing on his face a little wider and brighter and positively stealing Stephen's breath away. Well that was unexpected, wasn't it. 

A gentle silence stretched between them after that. A comfortable one, quiet yet tangible, peaceful, in a way that Stephen regularly craved. 

"Stevie said I hadta come and have some fun," James eventually said, still leaning on his side, his eyes not quite burning into Stephen's skin so much as imprinting a presence Stephen had only ever experienced with a select few people before, "Truth is, Stephen, those things aren't much fun to me,"

The way the man said his name sent a sort of shiver down Stephen's spine, same as the fact that Stephen could tell James wasn't exactly telling himself that, more like, he was making conversation, and that, compared to all the attempts he'd been subjected to during the night, felt strangely nice. He turned his head so he could look into the man's eyes, studying his face a little more openly than he'd ever done before, and something of a longing settled at the back of Stephen's neck. His eyes strayed to James' left shoulder, seeing at it sloped and the sleeve lay close to his side, empty. 

"Not wearing the arm anymore?" Stephen couldn't help but ask. 

James shrugged at first, and Stephen was ready to apologize for going too personal but the man made him stall by waving his fingers in the air. 

"I'm better without it." 

He didn't say anything more, but Stephen could see just how much truth he was giving him in such simple words. It felt like a sort of gift, as small and minor as it may seem. He nodded, certain he couldn't understand the half of it even if he'd heard of the Winter Soldier and had become as knowledgeable as he could get about Hydra's training methods, but showing the man he did treasure his willingness to answer the question. 

"Where's your Cloak?" 

Stephen raised an eyebrow at that, smiling a little. 

"First, thank you for not calling it a  _ cape _ , second, it can shapeshift at will." Stephen said, and then, whether it was the half glass of champagne he'd had two hours ago, or the gentle wind they were treated for a New Year's night or simply the ease he felt around this man, he winked before he continued in a hushed tone, "It's the handkerchief in my breast pocket." 

It was James' turn to raise his eyebrows. Then he chuckled - Stephen was starting to think he liked that, hearing him do that, seeing him so much freer than he'd been able to before. 

"This magic stuff keeps boggling my mind, I won't lie." 

Stephen snorted. 

"I don't blame you. I called the former Sorcerer Supreme every name the dictionary has for  _ charlatan _ back when I first discovered it existed," he said, and then his smile dampened, thinking of TAO, no matter the material the particular memory he revisited was made of was always tinged in grief and regret now. 

"You look sad now," James remarked rather bluntly. 

Stephen shook his head on reflex, then, as he met the man's gaze again, he shrugged. 

"She's passed now." He explained, and like the way James had told him about his arm, the simple words carried his meaning to the man as efficiently as longer, more verbose ways would have done it. Stephen looked down at his watch, the new one Christine had gifted him a few months prior, and once again, his eyes widened a little. "It's almost midnight, you should probably head in if you don't want to miss it."

An odd look passed through James' gaze, pensive, maybe, and then he shrugged again. 

"Nah," he said again, putting more nasal Brooklyn into it as he bit his lip, "I'd rather stay here, I think."

"You'd rather…" Stephen trailed off, his eyes catching on the way James licked his lips. "You think?"

"Hmmm," James stepped closer, barely leaving inches between them, inches that Stephen thought he could almost touch. 

Tingles ran over his skin, he felt hot all over looking at this man moving closer to him, a certain anticipation going through his veins that he hadn't felt in probably too long. And when he couldn't help but step away anyway, and James kept moving forward to follow him, and they stepped back, and stepped back, and Stephen's back met the rail again on the side of the balcony, and James' arm came to frame his body as he gripped the rail himself, the countdown started to get shouted inside, and down the streets and everywhere around them. Stephen gasped when James bit his lip again, but then he had James' hand on his cheek, and that was a whole new set of sensations and feelings to make sense of, maybe… just enjoying it was nice, too. 

Their gazes went from each other's mouths to their eyes and again, their breaths fanning over one another's faces and just as people shouted their  _ "Happy New Year's" _ , Stephen managed to put his own hand over James'. 

"Much, much rather do this," James whispered. 

A small beat of anticipation stretched between them, until James seemed to say fuck this at the same time as Stephen forgot to feel self-conscious. 

Their lips met in such a chaste, gentle press, sliding across each other and plucking so gently, Stephen felt his breath hitch. James' hand turned around to grip his own in the softest hold and when people finally quieted down around them, he broke the kiss, but instead of drawing away like the tradition would have you do when you kissed the nearest stranger, James pushed their foreheads together. 

"You're quite skilled at that," Stephen managed to let out, a bit embarrassed that he sounded so out-of-breath. 

"Not too bad yourself, sir," James quirked an eyebrow at him, and Stephen just had to… had to steal another kiss from him, and then another. 

It quickly became unclear who was initiating what. It was irrelevant. 

James Barnes was a good kisser, and he'd chosen to kiss Stephen, in the middle of this madness of a party, this madness of a life they both had, and that had to mean something.   
  



End file.
